The Closer season four -- An early look

For fans of The Closer, the wait is almost over. Season four finally kicks off next week, knocking off the third of the five shows that I have anxiously been waiting for. Burn Notice and Stargate Atlantis premiered this week. The Closer and Psych go live next week. And Eureka returns at the end of the month. It's going to be a great summer for television.

The fine folks over at TNT were nice enough to send along a press kit, so I've just finished watching the premiere and reading up on a few of the things they have planned for the new season. Last year we spent a lot of time on family as Brenda (Kyra Sedgwick) and Fritz (Jon Tenney) moved forward with their engagement. That, of course, involved finally revealing the engagement to Brenda's parents (Frances Sternhagen, Barry Corbin). And we followed along as the two of them began to search for a new house. Season four picks up from there. After the jump, a look at the premiere and a few things coming this season. Possibly a couple very minor spoilers, but no big plot points.

First and foremost, I want to say, if you're a fan of The Closer, you are really going to like the premiere. Everything about it feels so comfortable. The team is back together, Brenda and Fritz are moving along with their plans, and they have a pretty good case to get back into the swing of things.

In what is a pretty impressive effects shot, the season kicks off with a wildfire in Griffith Park. Four people are killed and firefighters, including guest star Brian Krause (Charmed), struggle to contain the blaze as it threatens parts of Los Angeles, Glendale, Burbank, and San Mateo (San Marino?). And oh yeah, the entire scene of the wildfire? That just happens to be Brenda's latest crime scene.

Along the way there are a couple of twists that complicate things. To start, an old foe returns. I'll not spoil by telling you just what he is doing that lands him back in Brenda's life, but Bill Croelick (Jason O'Mara) from season one's "Fatal Retraction" does appear in the episode. I'm not sure if I could think of any previous character that I would rather see return. The scenes between Croelick and Brenda back then were great, and round two lives up to the billing.

Also causing anxiety for Brenda is the strained relationship between the press and the L.A.P.D. In an effort to work on that, Chief Pope (J.K. Simmons) has granted a reporter, Ricardo Ramos(Stephen Martines), access to Brenda's investigation. As you might suspect, it's not the smoothest of relationships. As is often the case, Brenda makes the best of the situation. And as is often the case, it's not exactly the way Chief Pope thought things would end up.

Back on the homefront, wackiness in the housing market has kept Fritz and Brenda from buying a new house. With their bungalow sold, they are renting a new house until they can buy again. That brings it's own set of problems and we are treated to a couple of very good scenes as the two of them continue to hash things out.

Looking ahead in the season, there are a few of notable guest stars on deck. Episode two brings with it Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky and Hutch). In week three we'll see Kevin Rankin (Friday Night Lights, Bionic Woman). And week four features Daniel Baldwin (Homicide: Life On The Street).

We'll also see the relationship between the department and the press continue to be an issue as we move forward. Both episode two and three will have parts of the story grounded in that conflict. At the moment though, the episode I am most looking forward to is, without a doubt, episode five. I think I can sell you on it with just the episode title and a short five word description. "Dial M for Provenza" - Provenza posing as a hit-man. Who wouldn't want to watch that?

So, there ya go. Given everything I've seen and read regarding the new season, it looks to be another winner. Tune in July 14th when they kick the whole thing off for real, and then we can meet back here to talk about the premiere in more detail.